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Photo: Max Christiansen

If alternative pop is a revolution, Devon Again is the gloriously deranged renegade leading the fight.

21-year-old artist Devon Again hit the LA music scene in 2021 with the Tiktok hit “Suburbia” and has since hit the ground running with a colorful discography of R&B-infused melodies and biting indie-pop production.

“Burn Down” showcases the artist’s coy lyrical tone, spinning the absurd scenario of her apartment burning down into a hooky commentary on LA’s ruthlessness. The post-chorus breakdown in “Broke Mine Too” will never hit less hard, but “HEAD” exemplifies Devon Again’s production flair. Though the song starts mellowly, by the end, it blossoms into an explosive rush of emotion, like we’re feeling first-hand all the undefinable thoughts in her head.

There’s something in the slight obscenity of Devon Again’s humor that adds an unexpected element of genuineness to her music. Her stories are raw, but in a charismatic way rather than crude—like this is the first time they’re being told aloud. We get to be vulnerable alongside her, using sarcasm to mask our nakedness and enlisting headbang-able production to say what words won’t.

Devon Again’s live shows embody this spunky sensitivity. I had the pleasure of seeing her open for JAWNY and Wallice at the El Rey Theater earlier this month, and it was deliriously cathartic. To set the scene: a blue-haired doll head hangs from the mic stand, matching Devon Again’s signature blue to a tee, and the artist asks the crowd, “Have we done our affirmations today? No? Well, we’re not f–ing doing them here.” Devon Again’s set is not one for gentle, poignant thoughts. This is a live show where you leave feeling like you’ve just checked out of an alt-pop rage room; the line between laughing and crying blurs in the mad therapy of the music.

During the acoustic rendition of her most recent single, “gum,” the band takes a quick break to eat goldfish crackers out of the toilet bowl that’s center stage (and stocked with snacks, of course). Devon Again also celebrated the release of the “gum v6.4” music video which, in a world of short-form content and even shorter attention spans, is an absolute must-watch.

“gum v6.4” stars Robert Rexx, a long-haired tank of a man who’s sat in his La-Z-boy watching Devon Again’s home videos, trying to replicate the feeling of them from his living room. The home video aesthetic captures the nostalgia of looking back on a relationship but also showcases a side we don’t often think about: the hollowness of seeing your own memories documented and the coldness of knowing you’ll never experience them the same way again. This music video is a tangible portrayal of Devon Again’s mosaic mind and the truly unbridled bounds of her talent. Devon Again creates art that isn’t made for the clout of uniqueness but is overwhelmingly unique nonetheless.